Your savings today is: $35.34

 I've been trying really hard to be better at "couponing" lately...just trying to save some money on the things I already buy. I'm actually pretty terrible at it, though. I print most of them from the internet, then stick them in my little book, then spend a terribly long time shopping and figuring out the best deal, then I go and forget half the coupons at the check-out. So basically, I end up paying full price for things I never would have even considered if it weren't for the coupon! But I'm getting better... Besides, I usually remember before I leave the store, and most places will let you add a coupon after the fact and refund the difference (if you're willing to go through the trouble for that extra dollar in your pocket..) Today it was pillows at Target...didn't really need them, but the coupons made them cheap, and who couldn't use a few more pillows on the bed?? Maybe it was silly to go back through the line to have them refund $2 for the coupon I forgot...but I hate paying retail for anything if I can avoid it.


For the most part, I think I am getting the hang of it...and actually have snagged a couple of good deals. My favorite deal of the day:

A sale and a $2 coupon for this....

and using the coupon off the container to get this....
 

for FREE!!

I love free.

There is also a Target coupon for these...

 which, when paired with the current sale, makes them free, too :)
I'm building up a pretty good supply of cat treats (not that they deserve them)!

Therefore, this couponing thing is benefiting both me AND the Crispies!

Anyway...there are some pretty decent deals out there if you are willing to put some time into it...I haven't delved into it too much, but Target usually has some good ones, as well as Kroger (which also gives you the option to load them directly on to your Kroger card, making for less shuffling through papers in the grocery store!)

In other news...

I knitted my very first sock!

Here it is on my foot....

I'm wearing it around the house...and maybe I look silly wearing just one sock...but that's alright, because one warm foot is better than two cold feet!

It took me exactly one week to do this one, start to finish, so I figure I can probably get the next one done in a just few days (since I'm an experienced sock knitter now!!), minus the time it is going to take me to untangle this mess:

You didn't think the girls would let me get away with having all this yarn in the house, did you?
 They had a blast with the ball that I left on the kitchen counter... what made me think it would be safe there, I wonder?

They had fun helping me knit, as well...they are both very fond of this new hobby.

Now, on to sock #2!

I think I might try....

 to get better at this whole blogging thing.

Once again....I am WAY behind. I keep meaning to start posting more but I just can't seem to find the time. I mean, I'm really quite busy...sometimes...
between working 4 long hours a day...

and feeding the Crispies....

and vacuuming both my rugs...

and doting on the Crispies...

and eating lunch...

and lint rolling cat fur...

and Facebooking...

and doting on the Crispies some more...

There doesn't seem to be enough time in the day for everything!

.................. (awkward silence) ...................

Well.....Ok...so maybe I have a little free time. But really, whenever I get on the internet, I don't plan on spending enough time on the computer to create a whole blog post...so I just check my Facebook, read some other great blogs, check FB again, see if I have any emails, try to figure out google+, get bored, go back to FB...and before I know it, I have been at the computer for twice as long as it would have taken me to write up a really great blog post.

I am really going to try harder, though...
Because I actually LOVE sharing Crispy stories.
They are super cute...even if they are (still) super naughty.

I want to figure out how to change the background and what-not...because I have NO idea how to do it (what you are currently seeing is my husband's handy-work).....
And I've been thinking about expanding the focus of my blog, maybe share some other things that go on around here...projects...things WE do...things I love...maybe.
We'll see. 

"Curiosity killed the cat...almost"

Okay, so it didn't kill her (thankfully) and I'm fairly sure she isn't in any serious danger...just as long as that sewing needle Brisa ate last night shows up in the litter box today!

To answer what is inevitably everyone's first question: "Are you SURE she ate it??"...well, I can't imagine what else could have happened to it.
I know there was a long thread wrapped around the spool. And I know there was a needle on the thread. I also know that Brisa is a gluttonous pig! I would doubt my hypothesis, since she's acting normal, except for the fact that my husband and I BOTH saw her sitting by the spool gagging and spitting up, which means I can't have been hallucinating!
So I panicked (wouldn't you if there was a sharp needle inside your favorite cat??). Of course, the vet's office isn't open on Sunday night, and who wants to pay emergency room bills for a cat (though I love her dearly) if it's not completely necessary? So I googled "cat swallowed sewing needle" and guess what? Apparently, it happens all the time! They seem to have a habit of swallowing dangerous things. Some people said their cat "passed" it during their next trip to the litter box, and some said "Go to the vet immediately! It's going to cost you a hundred million dollars! Your cat is a goner!"
Okay, they weren't really that harsh. But that's all I could think of as these people were calmly telling me that my options were to either pay hundreds of dollars to have the needle removed, or have her put down. Ugh.
So I called the vet's office, "pressed 1 for a medical emergency", and attempted to sound calm as I discussed with the vet how to keep my cat from being stabbed to death from the inside, out.
I relaxed as he explained that she should be fine, I just needed to convince her to eat some bread soaked in tuna juice (as if that took a lot of convincing!), then, supposedly, the needle and thread would bind to the food and hitch a ride to the litter box on the next train.
Then he said the needle isn't even usually the thing to worry about...it's the thread! Apparently, needles are usually blunt enough that they don't cause any damage, but if the thread gets wrapped around anything...well, bad things happen.

As of now, Brisa is sleeping on her favorite chair, she is acting normal, showing no signs of pain or discomfort, and still no sign of the needle. I have even begun to think it was some sort trick the Crispies worked out to get themselves a can of tuna (I was guilted into giving Bella half the can...) 

So, I get to spend my day at home waiting (and watching, yuck!). At the very least, this should teach me not to leave my sewing supplies laying around. I'm sure I will be grateful for this lesson someday when I have children (who, I've heard, also have a habit of eating dangerous things).
Hopefully, it will show up soon so I can stop worrying and give my dumb cat a good beating.

St. Francis, Patron Saint of animals, watch over her.

The Mean Kitty Song

The Room of Eternal Stench

I haven't posted in a while, so today I decided I will just go with my most recent annoyance (but I will refrain from adding any photos of said annoyance, as I am sure no one will care to have a visual). For those of you who would rather not know about my cats' despicable bathroom habits, I advise that you read no further. As a disclaimer, I must warn you that, although my cats are terribly uncivilized, I am going to share everything about them anyways, despite the fact that they are disgusting creatures. But I digress. At the risk of embarrassing my darling cats, may I just say...they stink. I have had nearly enough of it, but what do I do?? It would be bearable if only my dear sweet Bella would just be a little more careful about using the litter box. Kitty Litter is one thing my husband and I are willing to spend a little extra cash on in order to save our noses from the all to potent smell. BUT it doesn't matter how amazing the litter is if your cat misses the box! Yes, it is true. She hits the floor (or the edge of the box, at best) every time. Disgusting, right? It is always Bella that does it..I know because I have caught her in the act. She spends a few minutes digging a nice, big, deep hole in the very center of the box (good) and then she plants her front paws right in the center of the large hole (bad). Needless to say, with her front paws in the center of the box, she rarely ever clears the edge of the box. What I think she needs is a bigger box..which is stupid because none of the other cats seem to have a problem with the ones we have! The boxes are not abnormally small, nor is she abnormally large...she is just abnormally stupid. And the worst thing is: it smells! The upstairs litter boxes are in the room off of the bathroom that we call "The Mystery Room" (which it was dubbed because the room doesn't have any apparent purpose, so when we first moved in, it was a mystery as to what we would do with it). The bathroom is right across the hall to our bedroom so, at best, we are about 10 feet from the room of eternal stench. Yuck! We are planning on putting up a door between the bathroom and the mystery room, and then installing a small cat door, so they can go in and out (well, maybe just in ;). That will hopefully help a little with the stink issue, as well as the tracking on litter all over my house! When we get around to it, I will be sure to post some pictures. Let's just hope that my unintelligent cats will be able to figure out how to use the door!

Adventures in the Night

Last night while watching a show in bed, we heard the front porch door slam. After convincing Beau Bear that it was just the wind, we directed our attention back to the movie and though nothing of it.

We should have known better.

Our front door doesn't always latch when you pull it closed, so if you don't pull hard, it can be opened again without turning the handle. The cats are clever creatures, and always find a way to do exactly what I don't want them to...so despite the fact that I checked the door and locked it before I went to bed last night, they knew I didn't check very closely and managed to pull the door open as soon as we were settled in bed....

And then they ventured out into the snow...

We usually keep our house pretty cold to save on heating costs and just put a space heater in our bedroom, so of course we didn't notice it being any colder during the night. We could have brought the temperature up to about 85 for a week for the amount it probably cost to heat the outdoors for one night! So much for trying to keep the energy bill down...

This isn't the first time it's happened, either. They escaped one or two times during the summer, but gave themselves away before we even noticed the open door...they were absolutely filthy!

Amazingly enough, they are always back by morning, as if they really think they are sly enough to keep it a secret. If they would just close the door behind them, I would likely never notice and never care (as long as they came back in one piece!)

At least in the summer time, the only problem is a pretty serious lack of security. But in middle of winter, not only could any stranger walk in off the street in the dead of night while we are fast asleep, but it is also below freezing and snowing outside!

Why must they torture me so?